's Motd Thurs March 6, 2008

[Guest guest]

THE FORMULA

Thursday, 06 March 2008

Earlier this week, I had my weekly chat in the Clubhouse Auditorium. And this week, we talked about the exercise formula. So today, I thought I would share that formula with all of you.I want you to remember, right up front that exercise is movement, plain and simple. And every human being needs to do three types of movement, that is exercise, every week. Oh no, no...you can't do just one or two, you've got to do all three.The first type of exercise you need to practice is stretching. Hey, it's what a baby does the minute he or she comes out of the womb. And baby, you need to keep on stretching that body of yours for the rest of your life. I mean, with all of the tension and stress you encounter everyday, trust me, your body feels all of that stress just as much as your mind does.And to relieve all of that stress, you need to stretch and really elongate your muscles. You need to stretch in the morning when you wake up, to revive your body after a good night's sleep, (hopefully). And you need to stretch in the evening to relax your body after a hard day's work.You need to stretch your neck, your shoulders, your chest and back. You need to stretch your waist and all of the muscle groups in your lower body. One way to accomplish this goal is to take any one of my workout videos or DVDs and do only the upper and lower stretch exercises featured in them, every morning or evening. Stretching also improves your posture. And, God knows, we all could use a little improvement in that area. All day long, I see people all crunched over, sorta looking like sad little potato chips! They need to stretch!The second part of the formula involves cardio exercise and you all know what that is. That's right, lift those arms, lift those legs, dance that body of yours around and get yourself sweaty! I've been doing exercise videos and DVDs for almost 30 years now and I know how much you all love to dance. And my workouts really get your heart rates up in a safe way, while burning those calories and fat.Cardio exercises also include walking, hiking, running, swimming, cycling and more. It takes a few minutes for your heart to reach the point where you are burning fat. Then, you have to stay at that fat-burning level for at least 20-40 minutes as you begin turning your body into a mean, fat-burnin' and sweatin' machine.Now, I told you that you have to stretch every morning and evening. And to that part of the formula, you should add your cardio workouts four days-a-week. But there's one more part of the formula and that is...Toning! I'll admit, toning is not as much fun as cardio but it is so-o-o needed. See, as we get older, our muscles tend to get a little flabby and we lose some muscle mass. That's why you need to use your toning rings and cords along with free weights to help you build muscle and improve your definition. You have to tone your chest and the muscles in your back. You have to tone your biceps and triceps in your arms.

You'll want to start slowly, using lighter weights to start, (only about two-pound weights), and graduate from there to five, eight and eventually, ten-pound weights. This last item in your exercise formula, toning, you should aim to do for at least 30 minutes a session, three times-a-week. So let's go over the formula one more time, shall we? Stretching, you'll do every morning and evening. Cardio, you'll do four times-a-week. And last but not least, you'll do toning...three times-a-week.If you follow this formula, I'm telling you that you'll feel and look gorgeous! People will just about faint-away when they see you walking down the street. Drivers will get into accidents trying to admire your body instead of watching the road. LOL. (I just love to make you laugh.)You've got the formula. Now, please, I want you to fall in love...with exercise! Love,